It Starts
by goldenspringtime
Summary: Loki gets bored and things go down hill from there. Pre-Thor


Disclaimer: I don't own Thor.

A/N: This happens about three months before Thor's failed coronation.

Loki sighed as he put down the book in his hands. He had already read this book, granted it had been seven hundred years ago but his mind still apparently remembered it enough for it not to be very interesting to look at. This was becoming more and more of a problem. When he was a child he never thought that it would be since the Asgardian library had thousands of books on magic and history and any other subject he wanted to sink his teeth into.

Loki looked out the library windows and looked down at the kingdom. Soon it would be Thor's. Thor would be crowned in nine months. Part of him was angry about it since Odin had told them from the time that they were both children that either of them could be king but in the end had decided to give Thor the crown.

Loki shook his head that was why he decided to come to the library in the first place to stop thinking about his anger. The Library had always been his place of refuge. Even though the library was open to all of Asgard he was the only one who frequented it. This was mainly because everyone else in Asgard valued physical prowess rather than knowledge. Thor didn't allow him to stay very long though. If Loki stayed more than a few hours than Thor would pull him out the library saying that he shouldn't spend all his life in a stuffy library. It didn't seem to matter to Thor that he liked the library and the silence and that he wasn't interested in sparing, which was what Thor generally pulled him away to do. Loki preferred to work out his mind compared to his body which no one else seemed to understand. They all thought that the magic he used in battle was cheating.

Loki shook his head again. The library was his place away from Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three his refuge. Loki got off the comfortable leather armchair and made his way over to the nearest bookshelf, it like all the others in the library were ornately carved in dark wood. He briefly scanned the titles only to find that he had read all of them and some of them he had read a few times.

Asgard needed to get more books, maybe he would convince father to let him visit another world and bring back enough books to last for another hundred years. He wasn't sure his father would allow it though because he like everyone else in the realm was not fond of Loki learning and doing magic instead of learning how to fight better. He was bored; he let out a loud sigh.

There was a few options, he could find Thor and the two of them could spar, though that did not sound any better than staring at the spines of the books. He could think of a prank to pull.., that one had some merit. Loki started thinking about pulling a prank on Thor when something caught his eye, a sort of glinting. Loki frowned for a moment, he knew this library; no matter what time of day it was it was unusual for there to be glint like that in the library. Loki found himself following the glint, as he did so he wondered what it was that making the glint. Loki made his way from the lower level of the library up the equally ornately curved dark wooden stairs to the second level of the library. Loki made his way past familiar books. He had just come to the conclusion that his brother had probably misplaced a coin the library the last time he had been there when he came upon an unfamiliar sight. It was a bookshelf

Unlike all the other bookshelves the design of the shelf was simple and every line of it was straight, though strangely he could not up close see where the glint was coming from. He frowned in confusion. He had been to the library more than any other place in the castle but he had never seen this bookshelf before. Loki was very curious, new books and right at his fingertips full of new knowledge that he had never read before. He was hungry for more knowledge, for new knowledge. Loki nearly touched one of the books before he saw the symbol on the side of the bookcase. It was two crescent moon twisted together. There was something about that symbol that was familiar to him...but he couldn't remember it. Loki frowned harder in frustration; there was something about this book that he should know. It was at the edge of his consciousness but he couldn't think of it. Loki's fingers were frozen inches from the book as he tried to remember what it was that he couldn't remember.

Loki shook his head. If it was important then he would remember would he? Loki picked a green book out from the shelf, picking it simply because it was his favorite color and color was the only thing differentiating the books from each other. Loki made his way to the nearest table and sunk into the leather seat with a grin. New book, new knowledge all waiting to be devoured by him.

He paused for a moment before opening the book there was something wrong about this. A bookshelf did not just appear out of nowhere. There may be magic there, but that kind of magic unless done by himself could be trouble. Part of him argued that he should ask his mother about it, but another part feared that if he told her that she would not allow him to read the books. Besides it was only a book. How dangerous could a book in itself be? Didn't his mother always say that knowledge and magic was not intrinsically good or evil but it was how the user used it that made it so? Loki opened the book before his mind could come up with any more reason to not open it and froze.

There was darkness in the book, only the darkness was alive. It was like a million dots lived in the book and as soon as the book opened they tried to get out. Loki immediately slammed the book shut. Loki was about to take in a deep breathe of relief when he felt something touch the skin of his wrist. He looked just in time to see the speck of darkness burrow its way into his skin. His brain chose that moment to tell him some terrifying information. The speck of darkness was called an Armark. The Armarks were parasitic creatures that feed on aggression, anger, and similar emotions. According to a history book he read once, 14,000 years ago they had caused many wars between worlds before the worlds found out what was causing them and imprisoned them. Though not one of the books he had read had said that they had been imprisoned inside a book.

That was also the moment that Loki remembered the tale of vanishing shelf. It was said to contain some of the world's greatest evils. To keep the worlds safe it moved from place to place never staying anywhere for long because there were people who sought after the items. Apparently it was completely unpredictable where it would end up next; such was the nature of the spell placed on it.

Of course Loki didn't care much for the historical side of things at the moment because one of them had just burrowed into his skin and he could feel it going through his veins! It was a parasite! There was a parasite inside of him! He felt it going up his arm and he was scared. Armarks from the books he had read feed off aggression related emotions and made the brain produce more of the emotions to feed it. The Armarks lead to extremely aggressive and angry people. Was that going to happen to him? No one was going to know that he had an Armark inside of him. No one was going to save him!

Loki felt it in his chest now and he started screaming at the top of his lungs in a way that he hadn't since he was a small child. Loki would have thought it was beneath him if there wasn't a parasite in him. Maybe someone would hear him. Maybe someone would save him. Loki turned towards the door...and saw no one coming towards him. The library was large and far away from where the majority of Asgardians spent their time. That thought did not make him feel any better as he felt the darkness make its way to his brain. Loki closed his eyes as the thing ravaged it, feeding off of his anger.

Anger coursed through him like a mighty river and Loki opened his eyes. He was no longer sure why he had been so afraid, the thing inside of him was making him better. All the hurt he had been feeling for no one appreciating him or ignoring his talents faded into anger. Anger was more powerful, less hurtful, and easier to direct. Loki smiled.

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